‘Risky to have Western-style polls in China’

Beijing: China does not have the cultural ground and political conditions to conduct Western-style elections as such a political transformation would be "highly risky" in a country with 1.3 billion people, said a state-run daily Monday, just three days ahead of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

An article in the Global Times said that the national congress is bound to be successful at this crucial period of time.

The daily compared the US election with the scenario in the country.

"This week will witness political vitality and diversity across the Pacific. The most well-known electoral system in the West, that of the US, will go through its quadrennial elections for president on Tuesday. The election did not touch upon any concrete social problems. It`s more like a routine with some verbal sparring between candidates.

"China is totally different. As it develops rapidly, every year is a critical moment. Rapid development will bring more problems, and China still has to face the issues brought by its huge population. It would be a utopian ideal to rely on one simple system to realize China`s development," it said.

It said that the "confusion in current society is largely due to our desire for change and improvement".

"Chinese, from top to bottom, are serious about the reforms and China`s new breakthroughs. Disagreements concerning these issues result in social tensions. How should China solve its various problems? Why have there been so many disagreements? These questions seem to block the country`s development," it noted.

It stressed that China "does not have the cultural ground and political conditions to use Western-style elections to deepen social discrepancy first and then strive to achieve social balance and unity later".

"It would be highly risky to promote such a political transformation in a country with 1.3 billion people."

It went on to say that maintaining social unity is the major task of China`s mainstream politics.

"If these efforts loosen, a minor problem could pose a heavy threat to national development."

"The unity of the Party is the certainty of China`s politics. The more certain China`s situation is, the more diversity can exist at various social levels, and the public`s confidence toward reforms can be more consolidated," it added.